New Directions for Education at the Smithsonian April 24, 2009 Marshall S. Smith

Contents New Administration Policy Cyber-learning Open Education Resources Thoughts about directions that Smithsonian might take.

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act One-Time Investment Over $100 billion investment in Education Almost all resources to be released by October 1, 2009 Historic opportunity to stimulate economy and improve education

Guiding Principles Spend Quickly to Save and Create Jobs Ensure Transparency and Accountability Thoughtfully Invest One-time Funds Advance Effective Reforms

Advance Core Reforms/Assurances College and Work Ready Standards Collection and Use of Data Teacher Effectiveness and Distribution Turnaround Schools Continuous Improvement Innovation Transparency Scale

The Future of Cyberlearning: A vision of the year 2015… School Home Teachers Parents Lifelong “Digital Portfolio” Mobile technology access to school materials and assignments Virtual interaction with classmates Students Supplemental content Virtual Laboratory Simulations Visualizations of real-time data from remote sensors

Global Warming Recession War Poverty Epidemics Why Is Cyberlearning Important? Leverages learning through – Communication technologies – Students’ technology skills Extends capacity of educational institutions into life-long learning opportunities – Increases public understanding of science – Prepares citizens for complex, evolving, global challenges

Why Cyberlearning Now? Powerful new technologies Understanding of how people learn Demand for solutions to educational problems New, more responsive methods of development and testing New, more responsive methods of development and testing NSF and other funding for interdisciplinary programs in cyberlearning Cyberlearning Credit: John Sondek, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Using data to teach geoscience thinking Credit: Tracy Gregg State University of New York Buffalo

Open high-quality content and tools (Free) for all on the web: Open for downloading, using and reusing: – Personalization, cooperation, cultural and linguistic appropriateness – Enhance communication, collaboration, creativity at all times on multi- platforms for teaching and learning. Creative Commons licenses: retain ownership – allocate rights to use Value of content approaching zero: added value coming from services around content – e.g. Google/Red Hat

Universal Open World Library Books in millions: Google and other digitization projects, Internet Archive Library collections worldwide: U.S., (e.g. Library of Congress, Smithsonian, Harvard collections) France, UK Journals: Public Library of Science, 4000 open journals; Open Access: Harvard, MIT Courses and OpenCourseWare: MIT other universities have OCW: Lots of open courses. Video BBC, Public Broadcasting System, WGBH etc. Content

Create, Maintain and Share High Quality Materials Fast feedback loops that engage rapid cycles of improvement of teaching materials Content

Open, Dynamic Textbooks Online open textbooks available for printing parts or the whole. Textbooks could include standard text and pictures + embedded simulations, games, video, links to relevant sites. Feedback about quality and effectiveness leads to fast improvement cycles. Teachers and Professors can modify and adapt courses for their purposes. Also include communication links for students and teacher to other students and teachers. Teachers Learning

Learn by Doing To become a scientist, architect, or computer programmer…must learn to think and practice like one Surgery SimulatorDiscover Babylon MIT iLabs

Accelerated Learning: Cognitively Informed Web- based Instruction

UN World Food Program: Food Force Federation of American Scientists: Immune Attack Carnegie Mellon: PeaceMaker Immersive Teaching and Games Learn through structured play

Open access to a massive library of knowledge for all Learn structured education material anytime, anywhere, and on any device User-centric improvement of learning and education materials Accelerate learning -- learn 2 – 3 times faster Motivate students by learning to be professionals Promote creativity, problem solving, control of learning through games, immersive environments Learning = f(Content, Motivation, Time) x Technology

These ideas are just the beginning. What might the Smithsonian do? In General 1.You are already doing a lot. E.g. Recent You Tube connections. 2.Back office issues important: quality digitization; easy to use, modular, interoperable platform: Think open: collections, modules, courses, making original materials easily available. No firewalls, no passwords. 3.Think partners (private & public sector, US and international. ) 4.Think “soft diplomacy.” Engage the world. 5.Think about users. 6.Get a clear vision, focus and make the product of the vision the best. Continuously improve.

What might the Smithsonian do? More Specifically. 1.Clay Christensen: Courses. Library of 100 – for $100 million. Change the face of education. 2.Easy to use, engaging, interactive, reusable, modules on key areas/fundamental principles/theorems mixing formal with practical learning of math, science, U.S. history: 3.Collections that fit with curricula in schools – use for research papers, exploration. 4.“Powers of Ten” 5.Big Issues: Climate Change, poverty in the world, living in a world wide economy, democracy, responsibility, citizenship.

What might the Smithsonian do next? 1.Like an elephant in a china shop – pretty much want you want. 2.Engage users: kids in and out of school, teachers, older adults, in US, developed and developing world. 3. Think open, interactive, able to be modified, personalized, by user. If you have knowledge let others light their candle with it. (Churchill) When I hear your idea, I gain knowledge from it without diminishing anything of yours. (Jefferson)